Guard and control apparatuses for sliding compound miter saw

ABSTRACT

A guard assembly for a saw or other cutting device includes fixed and movable guards relatively pivotal by way of a linkage assembly having two links pivotally interconnected coaxially with a cam roller engageable with a cam surface for controlling relative guard movement. Other preferred features include a torsional coil guard return spring and spring enclosure that minimizes interference with workpiece cutting depth, an arbor shaft cover retention fastener that doubles, along with another caliper member, as a blade caliper set that prevents guard damage in the event of a bent or deflected blade or cutter, a drive assembly hold-down assembly for storage, and a horizontally-extending handle centered horizontally relative to the blade or cutter.

This patent application is related to a copending U.S. patentapplication, Ser. No. 08/499,339, filed Jul. 7, 1995, entitled"Adjustable Fence For Compound Miter Saw", the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein.

The present invention relates primarily to power chop-type saws, mitersaws, compound miter saws or other power operated equipment or machineryutilizing a blade or other cutter for performing working operations onworkpieces composed of wood, metal, plastic or other materials. Moreparticularly, the present invention seeks to achieve variousimprovements in blade guard mechanisms for such power operatedequipment, typically having a lower movable guard pivotally movablerelative to a fixed upper guard between "closed" and "open" positions asthe blade is pivotally moved between non-cutting and cutting positions.Preferred forms of the present invention also relate to improvements inblade or cutter arbor shaft covers and to blade or cutter calipers inconjunction with the guard mechanism, as well as to a blade or cutterhold-down arrangement for preventing operation of the saw when in alocked-down state. Still another preferred form of the inventionincludes advantageous improvements in the operator handle position,orientation and configurations that optimize the user's comfort andcontrol of the blade or cutter when performing a wide variety of cuttingoperations.

BACKGROUND AND SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Saws and other apparatuses designed for cutting or performing otherworking operations on a workpiece typically include mechanisms forsetting the saw blade or cutting tool in selected angular relationshipswith the workpiece when performing various cutting operations. Examplesinclude chop-type compound miter saws adapted for allowing the user toselectively set the saw blade at any of a number of positions or modesfor square cutting, miter cutting, bevel cutting, or even compound mitercutting in which combination miter angle and bevel angle cuttingoperations are performed on the workpiece. In addition, some operations,such as dado cutting, groove cutting, or shaping operations, forexample, require the use of saw blades or other cutting or workingdevices of different shapes or sizes to be substituted for one anotherin order to perform the desired operation on the workpiece. In theseinstances, the saw or cutting device must be capable of cross-cutting orsliding movement of the blade or cutting tool in lieu of, or in additionto, chop-type engagement with the workpiece.

In order to allow for the setting of miter and bevel angles, the sawblade, cutter or other working device is angularly adjustable withrespect to both a horizontal base and a vertical fence against which theworkpiece is positioned. The miter adjustment allows the saw blade,cutter or other working device to be angularly positioned with respectto the vertical fence while maintaining perpendicularity with thehorizontal base. The bevel adjustment allows the saw blade, cutter orother working device to be angularly positioned with respect to thehorizontal base while maintaining perpendicularity with the verticalfence. Various combinations of miter angles and bevel angles areaccomplished by simultaneously adjusting the angularity of the bladewith respect to both the horizontal base and the vertical fence.

In any of these cutting operations whether they are performed onchop-type, cross-cut, or combination type devices, a blade guardmechanism must be capable of exposing a sufficient portion of the bladeto perform the desired cutting operation, while at the same timeadequately protecting the operator during cutting and when the blade isin an at-rest position. Such a guard mechanism also should preferablyprotect the guard from damage in the event of a bent or deflected bladeor cutter during such operations, should prevent the blade or cutterfrom vibrating loose from or on its arbor shaft during such operations,and should allow for maximum user comfort and control when performingsuch operations. Preferably, undesired operation of the saw or othersuch device should be prevented when in a storage or inoperative state.

Unfortunately, many conventional devices have proved to be deficient inmeeting some or all of these objectives, or have required burdensomemultiplicities of parts or components in order to achieve them. Thus,many of such conventional devices have also often been found to be heavyand overly complex, difficult and expensive to design, manufacture andmaintain, as well as requiring large spaces in which to operate them. Insome cases, meeting these objectives has also resulted in undulylimiting cutting capacities.

In accordance with the present invention, a blade or cutter guardmechanism preferably includes an upper guard that is fixed relative to adrive assembly for the arbor shaft of the blade or cutter and a lowerguard that is pivotally movable relative to the fixed upper guard.Preferably, a guard-actuating linkage assembly includes a first linkhaving an inner end pivotally interconnected with a housing assemblyupon which the drive assembly is pivotally mounted in order to move theblade and drive assembly into engagement with the workpiece. An oppositeintermediate end of the first link is pivotally interconnected with anintermediate end of yet another, second link whose opposite outer end ispivotally and drivingly interconnected with the movable guard. Anintermediate roller or roller assembly is rotatably interconnected withthe interconnected intermediate ends of the links and is engageable witha cam surface at a fixed location formed on the drive assembly and thusfixed relative to the fixed guard. The shape and position of the camsurfaces are pre-designed to control the rate of movement of movableguard as the saw blade or cutter is moved between non-cutting andcutting positions. In a preferred form of this guard arrangement, themoveable guard can be manually moved for overriding pivotal movementirrespectively and independently of the position of the blade and driveassembly relative to the workpiece.

A return spring can be advantageously included in the guard linkageassembly for resiliently biasing the movable guard toward a normallyclosed position covering a maximum portion of the cutting periphery ofthe blade or cutter. Such return spring is preferably a torsional coilspring with one anchoring end or leg interconnected with the fixed guardor drive assembly (at a fixed location thereon) and an opposite end orleg interconnected with the movable guard (also at a fixed locationthereon). An off-center spring enclosure, which is radially offsetrelative to the arbor shaft, is preferably included for restrictingradial expansion of the torsional spring to directions away from theworkpiece (on opposite sides of the arbor shaft from the workpiece) inorder to maximize the workpiece cutting depth capacity of the saw bladeor cutter.

Another optional but preferred feature of the invention is an arborshaft cover that is pivotally interconnected with the fixed guard andthat substantially prevents or minimizes any tendency of the arbor shaftnut, screw or other blade-securing fastener to work loose on, or freeof, the arbor shaft. Such arbor cover can be pivoted out of the way toallow blade removal or blade changing by way of a releasable coverretaining fastener at one end of the pivotal cover, with such retainingfastener also optionally being configured to extend axially inside thefixed guard when tightened so as to act as one of a pair of bladecalipers axially spaced from opposite sides of the blade or cutter. Suchcalipers thereby prevent or substantially minimize damage to the fixedguard in the event of a bent or deflected blade or cutter.

A hold-down strap member can also be included and be can pivotallyinterconnected with the saw's base for movement between a storageposition and a hold-down position in releasable engagement with thesaw's drive assembly in order to releasably secure the drive assembly ina lowered storage position relative to the base.

Also, the operator handle of the saw preferably includes a horizontallyextending gripping portion that is generally centered laterally withrespect to the plane of the blade or cutter. This contributesadvantageously to workpiece visibility, ease of use, and operatorcontrol of the saw or other cutting device so equipped.

Other advantages, objects and features of the present invention willbecome apparent to those skilled in the art from the subsequent detaileddescription, appended claims and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a front perspective view of a sliding compound miter saw inaccordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a front elevational view of the sliding compound miter sawshown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a rear elevational view of the sliding compound miter sawshown in FIGS. 1 and 2.

FIG. 4 is a right-hand side elevational view of the sliding compoundmiter saw shown in FIGS. 1 through 3.

FIG. 5 is a partially exploded perspective view of a preferred bladeguard mechanism in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 6 is another partially exploded perspective view of the blade guardmechanism of FIG. 5, revealing still further details of its preferredconstruction.

FIG. 7 is a partial exploded detail view of the movable portion of theguard mechanism shown in FIGS. 5 and 6, illustrating in more detail theguard-opening linkage arrangement.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional detail view of the lower guardreturn spring and spring enclosure arrangement of the guard mechanism ofFIGS. 5 through 7.

FIGS. 9a through 9c schematically illustrate the resilient flexing ofthe preferred torsional lower guard return spring at various movablelower guard positions for the preferred guard mechanism of FIGS. 5through 8.

FIGS. 10a through 10d are diagrammatic views, with parts removed orbroken away, to schematically illustrate the operation of the linkagearrangement for controlling the lower guard movement between workpiecenon-engagement and engagement positions for the blade or cutter of thesaw illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 9.

FIG. 11 is a partial left-hand side view of the preferred guardmechanism, illustrating the blade arbor shaft cover in an operatingposition.

FIG. 12 is a partial exploded view, further illustrating the arbor shaftcover arrangement of FIG. 11.

FIGS. 13a and 13b are partial cross-sectional views, illustrating ablade caliper arrangement incorporated into the arbor shaft coverarrangement.

FIGS. 14a and 14b are partial perspective views of a hold-downarrangement for the preferred sliding compound miter saw depicted inFIGS. 1 through 13.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

FIGS. 1 through 14b depict exemplary embodiments of a sliding compoundmiter saw according to the present invention, which is shown in thedrawings merely for purposes of illustration. One skilled in the artwill readily recognize, from the following description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings and claims, that theprinciples of the invention are equally applicable to compound mitersaws and/or chop saws of types other than that depicted in the drawings.Similarly, one skilled in the art will readily recognize that theprinciples of the invention may also be applicable to other workpiececutting, forming or shaping devices.

In FIGS. 1 through 4, an exemplary sliding compound miter sawincorporating a cutter or blade guard mechanism, as well as otherfeatures according to the present invention, is designated generally bythe reference numeral 10. The sliding compound miter saw 10 includes abase assembly 12, an angularly movable turntable or table assembly 14,an angularly movable housing assembly 16, a saw blade 18, a blade guardmechanism or assembly 20, a motor 22 drivingly connected to the sawblade 18 by way of a drive assembly 36, a handle arrangement 24, and aworkpiece-supporting fence assembly 26. The table assembly 14 is securedto the base assembly 12 such that it can be rotated in order to provideadjustment for miter cutting of a workpiece 13 (shown in phantom linesin FIG. 4). The rotation of the table assembly 14 changes the angle ofsaw blade 18 relative to the fence assembly 26 but maintains theperpendicularity of the plane of the saw blade 18 with the tableassembly 14. A locking mechanism 28 can be activated in order to lockthe table assembly 14 to the base assembly 12 at a desired miter-cuttingposition.

The housing assembly 16 is secured to the table assembly 14 such that itcan be pivoted with respect to the table assembly in order to provideadjustment for bevel cutting of the workpiece 13. The bevel pivoting ofthe housing assembly 16 changes the angle of the saw blade 18 relativeto the table assembly 14 but maintains the perpendicularity of the sawblade 18 with respect to the fence assembly 26. A locking mechanism 30can be activated in order to lock the housing assembly 16 to tableassembly 14 at a desired bevel-cutting position. As can be appreciatedby one skilled in the art, the adjustments for mitering and beveling canbe performed separately or simultaneously in order to perform a compoundmiter and bevel cut.

The housing assembly 16 also includes a support housing or assembly 32,which mounts a pair of support arms 34 for sliding movement with respectto the remainder of the housing assembly 16. The saw blade 18, the bladeguard 20, the motor 22 and the handle 24 are all mounted to a driveassembly 36, which is pivotally interconnected with the support arms 34and thus the support assembly 32. The pivoting of the drive assembly 36downwardly towards the table assembly 14 operates to bring the saw blade18 into a workpiece-engaging position and simultaneously open the bladeguard 20 (as is described in more detail below) in order to cut aworkpiece which is supported by the table assembly and the fenceassembly 26. The sliding movement of the support arms 34 relative to thehousing 16 permits the drive assembly 36 and thus the saw blade 18 to bepulled or pushed through the workpiece.

Referring to FIGS. 1 through 8, the blade guard assembly 20 includes afixed upper blade guard 40 and a movable lower blade guard 42. Themovable guard 42 is interconnected for pivotal movement about an arborshaft axis 45 of a blade arbor shaft 44 between a "closed" position,wherein the movable guard 42 covers a maximum portion of the cuttingperiphery of the blade 18, and an "open" position covering a minimumportion of the cutting periphery of the blade 18 in order to allow theblade 18 to perform cutting operations on the workpiece 13 and to allowfor blade removal or replacement.

The blade guard assembly 20 also includes a linkage assembly 46, whichfunctions to pivot the movable guard 42 between its open and closedpositions as the drive assembly 36 is pivoted by the operator about apivot pin 38 (FIG. 5) toward and away from the workpiece 13,respectively. This motion of the movable guard 42 with respect to thefixed guard 40 is further described below and is diagrammatically andschematically illustrated in FIGS. 10a through 10d (in which variousparts of the compound miter saw are removed or broken away for clarity).

The linkage assembly 46 includes an inner link 48 having an inner end 56pivotally interconnected with the support housing 32 at a fixed locationthereon. The linkage assembly 46 also includes an outer link 50 havingan outer end 58 pivotally interconnected with the movable guard 42, alsoat a fixed location thereon. The opposite intermediate ends of the innerlink 48 and the outer link 50 are pivotally interconnected with eachother and with an intermediate rotatable pivot and roller assembly 52.The roller assembly 52 is adapted to engage a cam surface 54 formed onthe drive housing assembly 36 (and thus fixed relative to the fixedupper guard) for purposes of controlling the closing and openingmovement of the movable guard 42 as the drive housing 36 and the blade18 are raised and lowered, respectively, out of and into cuttingengagement with the workpiece 13. The shape and position of the camsurface 54 are carefully chosen in order to determine and select theamount and rate of opening movement of the lower guard 42. These raisedand lowered positions are diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 10a and10c, respectively.

Because the intermediate roller assembly 52 is free to move, along withthe intermediate ends of the inner link 48 and the outer link 50, alongthe cam surface 54, the location of the intermediate roller assembly 52is not fixed or restrained with respect to either the fixed upper guard40 (which is fixed with respect to the drive assembly 36) or the movablelower guard 42. Thus, primarily for ease of blade changing, replacementor maintenance, the movable lower guard 42 can be manually pivoted bythe user about the arbor shaft axis 45 in an overriding manner,independent and irrespective of the pivotal position of the driveassembly 36 and the blade 18. Two examples of this independentoverriding movement of the movable lower guard 42 are shown in FIG. 10b,wherein the movable guard 42 has been pivoted to a maximum open positionwith the drive assembly 36 in its upward, "at rest" position, and inFIG. 10d, wherein the movable guard 42 has been independently andoverridingly pivoted about the arbor shaft axis 45 to a maximum openposition with the blade 18 and the drive assembly 36 in their downward,workpiece-engaging position. In both of these overridingly andindependently pivoted positions of the movable lower guard 42, theintermediate roller assembly 52, along with the intermediate ends of theinner and outer links 48 and 50, pivot upwardly out of contact with thecam surface 54.

Referring primarily to FIGS. 5 through 9c, the linkage assembly 46 alsopreferably includes a return spring 70, which is preferably of thetorsional coil spring variety shown in the drawings. The return spring70 functions to resiliently and normally bias the movable lower guard 42toward its "closed" position illustrated in FIGS. 1 through 4 and 10a.This return spring 70, along with the drive assembly return spring 37shown in FIG. 5, thus serve to resiliently bias both the movable lowerguard 42 and the entire drive assembly 36 to the "at-rest" positionshown in FIGS. 1 through 4 and 10a.

Because the preferred return spring 70 is a torsional coil spring, itradially expands and contracts relative to the arbor shaft axis 45 asthe movable guard 42 is pivoted about a lower guard axis 47 (see FIGS.8, 9a-c, and 10a-d) between its "closed" and "open" positions,respectively. The drive assembly 36 is also preferably equipped with areturn spring enclosure 72, shown in FIGS. 6 and 8 and diagrammaticallyillustrated in FIGS. 9a through 9c. The return spring enclosure 72 isradially offset with respect to the pivot axis 47 of the movable lowerguard 42 in a generally upward direction, away from the saw's baseassembly 12 and the workpiece 13. The offset return spring enclosure 72is mounted on, or interconnected with, a drive assembly hub portion 74(shown in FIG. 6) of the drive assembly 36 and is thus fixed withrespect to the fixed upper guard 40. The return spring 70 includes afixed spring leg 76 (fixed relative to the spring enclosure 72 by way ofits engagement with an opening 80 in the spring enclosure) and a movablespring leg 78 (movable with the movable lower guard 42 by way of itsengagement with an opening 82 in the movable lower guard) at its ends.The return spring legs 76 and 78 are carefully placed and configured toprevent extreme bending of these legs as the spring expands andcontracts.

As is diagrammatically illustrated in FIGS. 9a through 9c, the radiallyoffset configuration of the return spring enclosure 72 allows the returnspring 70 to radially expand and contract to a greater degree indirections away from the saw's base assembly 12, and thus away from theworkpiece 13, than in directions toward the workpiece 13. This featureminimizes interference with the workpiece 13 during cutting operationsand thus maximizes the cutting depth capacity of the compound miter saw10. Preferably, the spring enclosure 72 and the return spring 70 areplaced inside the blade cavity rather than outside, to allow for moregearbox space. This further provides more space for the return spring 70itself, which significantly extends spring life.

FIG. 9a diagrammatically depicts the movable lower guard 42 in its"closed" position, with the return spring 70 in its preloaded, maximumradially-expanded condition. FIG. 9b illustrates the position of themovable lower guard 42 and the degree of radial expansion of the returnspring 70 when the drive assembly 36 is lowered to a workpiece-engagingor cutting position. FIG. 9c illustrates the position of the movablelower guard 42 and the minimal radially expansion condition of thereturn spring 70 when the movable lower guard 42 is manually andoverridingly opened to its maximum extent.

Referring to FIGS. 11 through 13, the drive assembly 36 of the compoundmiter saw 10 also preferably includes an arbor shaft cover 66 pivotallyinterconnected at one end by way of a pivot fastener 67 to the fixedupper guard 40. The opposite end of the arbor shaft cover 66 isreleasably secured to the fixed upper guard 40 by way of a threadedretaining fastener 69 that passes through a slotted opening 68 in thearbor shaft cover 66. This allows the cover 66 to be selectivelyreleased and pivoted upwardly about the pivot fastener 67 relative tothe fixed upper guard 40 to an "open" position, thus completely exposingthe arbor shaft fastener 64 and allowing removal, replacement ormaintenance of the blade 18. When the arbor shaft cover 66 is pivotedback to its "closed" position shown in FIG. 11, it preferably covers atleast one-half of the diameter of the arbor shaft 44 and prevents thearbor shaft fastener 64 from vibrating loose and falling free of thearbor shaft 44.

Referring to FIGS. 13a and 13b, the arbor cover retaining fastener 69can also optionally be configured to extend axially inside the fixedupper guard 40 to a position axially spaced from the blade 18 at aradial location well inboard of the cutting teeth of the blade 18 whenthe retaining fastener 69 is threadably tightened on the fixed guard 40,as is diagrammatically shown in FIG. 13a. This configuration allows theretaining fastener 69 to act as a blade caliper, in conjunction withanother blade caliper 71, while still allowing the fastener 69 toperform its arbor cover retaining function. The blade caliper 71 isfixed on the upper guard 40 and axially spaced from the opposite side ofthe blade 18, generally at the same inboard radial position as theretaining fastener/caliper 69. These calipers serve to substantiallyprevent, or at least minimize, damage to the fixed upper guard 40 in theevent of a bent or deflected blade 18. As shown in FIG. 13b, theretaining fastener 69 can be loosened to release the arbor shaft cover66 for pivoting to its open position.

Finally, the saw 10 can optionally be equipped with a hold-down memberor strap 90, illustrated in FIGS. 14a and 14b. The hold-down strap 90 ispivotally interconnected with the base assembly 12, preferably on theturntable assembly 14. The hold-down strap 90 can be pivoted upwardly,as shown in FIG. 14a, so that its hooked end 92 can be releasablyengaged with the drive assembly 36, preferably at the pivot fastener 67for the arbor cover 66, thus holding the drive assembly 36 in itsdownwardly pivoted position and preventing the drive assembly 36 (andthus the support arms 34 and the blade 18) from being slid completelyinwardly toward the fence assembly 26 (FIGS. 1 through 4). When notrequired for saw storage, the hold-down strap 90 can be pivoted to itsown storage position shown in FIG. 14b, where it is out of the wayduring workpiece cutting or shaping operations.

The strap 90 can be releasably retained in its storage position usingany of a wide variety of well-known releasable retention arrangements.However, one arrangement currently contemplated is a strap 90 that isresiliently deflectable laterally, with the strap having a resilientbias in the rightward lateral direction as viewed in FIGS. 14a and 14bfrom the user's normal position. Thus, when it is desired to move thestrap 90 from its use position shown in FIG. 14a to its storage positionshown in FIG. 14b, the user merely deflects the resilient strap 90leftwardly (against its rightward bias) so that the strap 90 can bepivoted downwardly, clear of a retention tab 94 on the turntableassembly 14. Once the strap 90 is pivoted downwardly past the retentiontab 94, it can then be released by the user to resiliently deflectrightwardly to be releasably retained beneath the retention tab 94, asshown in FIG. 14b. As mentioned above, other common releasable retentionschemes can also alternatively be employed.

The foregoing discussion discloses and describes merely exemplaryembodiments of the present invention for purposes of illustration only.One skilled in the art will readily recognize from such discussion, andfrom the accompanying drawings and claims, that various changes,modifications, and variations can be made therein without departing fromthe spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the followingclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A cutting device for performing cuttingoperations on a workpiece, said cutting device comprising:a baseassembly for receiving the workpiece; a support interconnected with saidbase assembly; a drive assembly including a motor, an arbor shaftrotatable about an arbor axis, and a cutting tool driven by said motorabout said arbor shaft, said drive assembly being pivotallyinterconnected with said support for selective pivotal movement of saidmotor and said cutting tool relative to said support assembly between anat-rest position wherein said cutting tool is out of engagement with theworkpiece when the workpiece is on said base and an operational positionwherein said cutting tool is in a cutting engagement with the workpiecewhen the workpiece is on said base; and a guard assembly including afixed guard partially surrounding a cutting periphery of said cuttingtool and a movable guard, said fixed guard being fixedly interconnectedwith said drive assembly, and said movable guard being pivotallyinterconnected with said drive assembly for pivotal movement about saidarbor shaft between a closed position surrounding a predeterminedportion of the cutting periphery of said cutting tool and an openposition covering a lesser portion of the cutting periphery of saidcutting tool than when in said closed position, said guard assemblyfurther including a linkage assembly for drivingly moving said movableguard between said closed and said open positions as said drive assemblyis moved between said at-rest and said operational positions,respectively, said linkage assembly including:a first link having aninner end pivotally interconnected with said support at a fixed locationthereon and an opposite intermediate end; a second link having an outerend pivotally interconnected with said movable guard and an oppositeintermediate end pivotally interconnected with said intermediate end ofsaid first link for pivotal movement relative thereto about anintermediate linkage axis; an intermediate roller rotatablyinterconnected with said intermediate ends of said first and secondlinks for rotation about said intermediate linkage axis; and a camsurface fixed relative to said drive assembly and said fixed guard andengageable by said roller for rotation of said roller thereon.
 2. Acutting device according to claim 1, wherein said movable guard isselectively pivotally moveable for overriding pivotal movement aboutsaid arbor shaft irrespective of the pivotal position of said driveassembly relative to said support assembly.
 3. A cutting deviceaccording to claim 2, wherein said roller moves out of engagement withsaid cam surface during said overriding pivotal movement of said movableguard.
 4. A cutting device according to claim 1, wherein said linkageassembly further includes a return spring resiliently biasing saidmoveable guard toward said closed position.
 5. A cutting deviceaccording to claim 4, wherein said return spring is a torsional coilspring surrounding said arbor shaft, said torsional coil spring havingone end interconnected with said drive assembly at a fixed locationthereon and an opposite end interconnected with said movable guard at afixed location thereon, said torsional coil spring radially expandingwhen said drive assembly is moved toward said operational position andradially contracting when said drive assembly is moved away from saidoperational position.
 6. A cutting device according to claim 5, whereinsaid torsional coil spring is circumferentially contained within aspring enclosure on said drive assembly, said spring enclosuresurrounding said arbor shaft and being radially offset relative theretowith a larger radial portion of said spring enclosure relative to saidarbor shaft being oriented toward an opposite side of said arbor shaftaway from the workpiece when said drive assembly is moved into saidoperational position and a smaller radial portion of said springenclosure relative to said arbor shaft being oriented toward theworkpiece when said drive assembly is moved into said operationalposition, said spring enclosure thereby allowing for greater radialexpansion of said torsional coil spring in a direction away from theworkpiece than in a direction toward the workpiece when said driveassembly is moved into said operational position.
 7. A cutting deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein said cutting tool is removably secured tosaid arbor shaft by a releasable arbor fastener threadably engageablewith an axial end of said arbor shaft, said guard assembly furtherincludes an arbor shaft cover pivotally interconnected with said fixedguard for pivotal movement between a first position at least partiallycovering said arbor fastener and second position completely uncoveringsaid arbor shaft fastener in order to allow said cutting tool to beremoved from said arbor shaft, said arbor shaft cover being selectivelyand releasably secured in said first position.
 8. A cutting deviceaccording to claim 7, wherein said arbor shaft cover is releasablysecured in said first position by a threaded male arbor cover fastenerthreadably engaging said fixed guard and threadably extendable axiallytherewithin to a position wherein an inner axial end of said arbor coverfastener is spaced at a predetermined axial distance from a first sideof said cutting tool in order to define a first cutting tool calipermember within said fixed guard, said fixed guard having a second cuttingtool caliper member thereon and extending axially therewithin on anopposite side of said cutting tool to a position wherein an inner axialend of said second caliper member is spaced at a predetermined axialdistance from said opposite side of said cutting tool, said first andsecond caliper members being located radially inward of said cuttingperiphery of said cutting tool and substantially preventing damage tosaid fixed guard resulting from undesired axial movement of said cuttingperiphery of said cutting tool when in said predetermined axialpositions.
 9. A cutting device according to claim 1, wherein said fixedguard includes a pair of caliper members extending axially therewithinto predetermined axial positions on opposite sides of said cutting tooland axially spaced therefrom, said caliper members being locatedradially inward of said cutting periphery of said cutting tool andsubstantially preventing damage to said fixed guard resulting fromundesired axial movement of said cutting periphery of said cutting toolwhen in said predetermined axial positions.
 10. A cutting deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein said base assembly includes an elongatedhold-down member pivotally interconnected therewith for selectivepivotal movement between a stored position below an upper workingsurface of said base and a hold-down position wherein a free end of saidhold-down member extends upwardly from said working surface toward saiddrive assembly, said free end of said hold-down member being releasablyinterconnectable with said drive assembly in order to releasably securesaid drive assembly in said operational position.
 11. A cutting deviceaccording to claim 1, wherein said cutting device is a miter saw.
 12. Acutting device according to claim 1, wherein said cutting device is acompound miter saw.
 13. A cutting device according to claim 1, whereinsaid cutting device is a sliding compound miter saw and wherein saiddrive assembly is slidably movable relative to said support assembly indirections perpendicular to the axis of said arbor shaft.
 14. A cuttingdevice according to claim 1, further including a handle assembly fixedlyinterconnected with said drive assembly, said handle assembly includinga horizontally-extending gripping portion generally parallel to saidaxis of said arbor shaft and adapted to be grasped by a user, saidgripping portion being centered horizontally with respect to saidcutting tool.